A Not-So-Fond Farewell to Jason Smith

The Jason Smith era in St. Louis has come to an end, as the Rams dealt the former first round pick to the New York Jets yesterday afternoon. It's a disappointing end, to be sure, for the second overall selection just three years ago, and for the team that drafted him.

Poor performance has been very much an issue for Smith, who has never lived up to his billing in really any way, but the health side of things has really been even worse. In the three seasons he has spent with the Rams, Smith has played in just 29 games, 26 of which were starts. His problems all seemed to start his rookie campaign, when he suffered a severe concussion midseason. Since then, things just haven't gone the way they were supposed to for the Baylor product, who came out of the draft with some of the most impressive measurables anyone had ever seen.

In return for Jason Smith, the Rams will receive, well, basically Jason Smith. Wayne Hunter is the name on the contract, but he could very well be the exact same player. Both are right tackles (though Smith was originally supposed to be a left tackle), both are hugely gifted physically, both have massively underachieved, both recently lost their starting jobs with their respective teams, and both have seen more than their fair share of backlash from fans and media. Hunter of course has played in the fishbowl of New York, so the scrutiny has been on another level entirely, but the fact is, these are basically interchangeable players.

The main reason the Rams seem to want Hunter rather than Smith is that Brian Schottenheimer, the Rams' current offensive coordinator, likes him. Schottenheimer coached Hunter in New York and is apparently fond of him, which seems a little puzzling considering the level of play he had to have seen. Oh, well. It could be worse, I suppose.